Camping

Going to camp is a classic American tradition for most kids. If you’re looking for bonding time with your family, both children and adults are welcome at Camp Highland in historic Ellijay, Ga. It is a Christian camp designed to lead families to Christ through high-adventure. Both day camps and extended stays are available. Facilities include both a high and low ropes course, rustic camping facilities (with showers and restrooms), challenge courses, zip lines, rock walls, drop zone and more! Camp Highland’s goal is to treat our guests to the thrill of a lifetime, while exposing them to teachable moments that lead them into a deeper walk with Christ. In the past seventeen years Camp Highland has been privileged to touch many lives through this exciting ministry, and this year promises to be as exciting as ever! Counselors are trained to teach the kids about key biblical principles through age-appropriate activities. For more information, visit them online at www.camphighland.com or call (678) 393-0300.

Explore Nature

Bring your binoculars and step into the Great Outdoors this summer with the Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company as your guide. Located in downtown Blue Ridge, Tom and Sonya Striker have an independent birding specialty with regular bird and nature walks. The free walks are easy access and walking, not to mention relaxed and fun for both children and adults. You can meet skilled birders and explore hot spots you can visit later on your own. Sign up for their newsletter by visiting www.blueridgebirdseed.com. Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company also hosts regular nature seminars. For more information, call toll free (800) 584-2473.

Festivals

This summer holds quite a few art festivals in the area. The first one to check out is the Lakota Cove Patriotic Celebration & Art Festival on July 3 at the Lakota Cove store in Jasper. "Fun" is the key word of the day at Lakota Cove. Known for its western art, the local Lakota Cove artists will showcase their wonderful talents all day. Woodworkers, Photographers, Potters, Native Americans and many more will show off their skills. There will be music, music and more music! Families can enjoy a hay ride or enjoy a hot dog roast with all the trimmings next to the fire. Roast your own s’mores and experience a fun day at Lakota Cove. For more information, call (770) 893-3495.

Named one of the top 20 events in the Southeast, Blairsville’s Butternut Creek Festival of the Arts in also a must-visit festival on July 23 & 24. It's a can't-miss event for fun-lovers! For more information, see their article across from our events calendar.

Arts

Let the clicking of needles sooth you this summer as you sit by the river. Strings and Stitches Yarn Shoppe in Ellijay is the largest yarn shop in north Georgia and continually offers classes during the summer in knitting and crocheting. The owners, Janice and Karen Moss, bring in teachers from all over the area to teach everything from basic knitting to lace and intarsia (creating patterns with multiple colors). Knitting and crocheting is a time-honored tradition for both women and men. It’s also a chance to create art that you can wear or give as treasured gifts. Don’t miss your chance to learn how to make socks, throws, shawls and more this summer at Strings and Stitches! For class information or directions, call (706) 698-KNIT or visit them online at www.stringsandstitches.com.

Summer brings lots of sunshine and a break from school for kids across the country, a most welcomed furlough from tests and homework! But here in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia, summer also means paint, clay, pencils, chalk, laughter, excitement, creativity and more! The Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association hosts an annual Youth Summer Camp during June and July. During the camp’s six week period, The Art Center is filled with over 100 kids from four years of age to teenagers, all enjoying the fabulous array of classes offered and taught by some of the finest teachers in our area. The Art Center, once the historic Fannin County Courthouse in Blue Ridge, GA, transforms into an edifice where young, imaginative minds flourish. Inside this former home of legal sanctions, lie several classrooms and galleries where students witness, learn and create all types of art. This year they are offering more classes than ever before!

All of the classes are just $25 each. (Some have small additional supply fees as well.) They are generally taught in three day increments, with an average of 1-2 hours of class time each day. The class schedules are versatile and accommodating, ensuring a wide availability for each and every child. Simply bring your child to The Art Center for class, and the teachers take care of the rest, often providing refreshments along with a safe, fun learning environment. Then, pick him or her up after class and listen to all the exciting things he or she has to say about the day’s events. Find out more at www.blueridgearts.net, call (706) 632-2144 Tuesday through Saturday, or e-mail  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for dates and times on any of the Summer Youth Camp classes.

Whistle Tree Pottery on the corner of the square in Ellijay is a favorite place for singles, couples, families, friends and parties. No experience or appointment is necessary to paint your own pottery in this lovely studio. Visit anytime and they will give you all the encouragement and assistance you need to create your own one-of-a-kind pottery masterpiece. Sue Gokalp, the owner and a potter herself, also offers a variety of unique handmade pottery gifts. Ages six and up can attend daily summer camps and adult pottery wheel classes are available. Call (706) 698-1223 or visit www.whistletreepottery.com for schedules.

Relax and Retreat

Why stay in a generic motel when you can relax at a personalized bed and breakfast? Built over 100 years ago, The Fernbrook Inn of Blue Ridge is filled with antiques, luxury baths, and a scenic garden. Cut glass windows frame the rock fireplace while solid wood floors lead visitors throughout the entire house. The master bedroom has its own fireplace with a charming little sitting room, perfect for gazing at the garden or catching up on some reading. The friendly proprietor, Jane Whaley, personally makes sure her guests have a magical time during their stay at Fernbrook. Located in the Aska Wilderness, there are activities in the area like lake sports, shopping in the rows of small shops in the downtown area and more. Guests that choose to stay in have choices of a library, game table, horseshoes, television and a corn toss. Groups are welcome and a continental breakfast is served daily. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call (404) 272-0080.

Chamomile Retreat, a country getaway just outside Ellijay, invites you to retreat…to relax…to revitalize. From the moment you drive down the canopied country lane, you know you have escaped from your everyday routine. As one of our guests put it: "Chamomile Retreat is a place meant for those who need and want the wooded quiet, the divorce from the world of fevered action and worry. It is a place for a poet or writer to wander. It is a place for an artist to sketch without distraction. Above all, though, it is meant for those who want to relax, to meditate, to examine their life, to recharge their batteries, to upgrade their self-worth, to chart their near future, to let nature slip into their day." For more information, visit them at www.georgiacountryretreat.com, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone/text at 404-909-9303.

Cruising in Cars

Come show off your car this summer! Most towns in the north Georgia area have antique car clubs and Jasper is no different. This summer, don’t miss the Jasper Main Street Cruise-In, sponsored by the Jasper Merchants Association. The cruise-ins are held the 4th Saturday of the month and this year will run May-October. The refreshment stand will have hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, drinks and pies or cakes to sell. There will also be 50/50 drawing- where the winner gets half and the charity working gets the other half. All is free to the public.For more information, call (706) 692-2031 or (770) 359-7588. Jasper Cruise-In dates this summer are June 25 and July 23 from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Ghost Tours

If you like a bit of history and the paranormal, check out a Ghost Tour. Every Friday and Saturday in Blue Ridge, Kimberly Bowyer and her team will guide visitors through downtown Blue Ridge educating them on local legends, history, folklore and mythical creatures. Prepare to be entertained (and maybe a little scared) strolling through the picturesque streets. For more information, call (706) 455-9866 or visit www.blueridgeghosttour.com for times. In Ellijay, a "Haunts and History" Tour leaves from Yer Daily Fix coffee shop off the square. Walk through Ellijay on the hour tour and learn of 15 points of interest. For more information, call (706) 698-2828.

Play Games

Gilmer Golf offers a challenging game of miniature golf over moguls, through rocks and water hazards. Designed with Mother Nature in mind visitors are surrounded by mountain views, flowering gardens, and soothing sounds from waterfalls. Rainy days, play inside with JUGS Ultimate Trainers computerized batting machines and a game room with various games. Rent the facility for your next group tournament and entertainment event. Open on weekends, Gilmer Golf is conveniently located just 1/2 mile south of the Highlands Shopping & restaurant complex on 515 South of Ellijay. Call (706) 698-4653 or visit www.gilmergolf.com.

For video game players, Action Game Exchange in Jasper is one of the few places in the area gamers can go to purchase exchange or sell their games. It’s also one of the few places that allows gamers to try the games out before they buy them. This summer, Action Game Exchange will be hosting upcoming release parties that include walk-in gaming, food and special guests. From Retro to Next Gen, they have everything. What they don’t have in store can be ordered easily at great prices. For more information, call (706) 253-1150 or visit them online at www.actiongamexchange.com.

Flea Markets

The Ellijay Marketplace has created a lot of excitement in Ellijay lately. Located on 16 acres next to the river, it’s the perfect spot for a little bit of everything. The biggest part is a flea market that also includes a farmers market. Tables are filled with arts, crafts, yard sales, flowers, fruits, vegetables and more. Mouth-watering food is sold, so strolling shoppers aren’t going hungry.?Pulled pork, corn dogs, Philly steaks, fresh brewed coffee are just a few of the tasty treats available. Local musicians will be playing live on the stage each weekend as well.?Located inside the large building is a consignment area with store close-outs and excess inventories, offering new, fresh-from-the-factory products at rock bottom prices!?

Booths and consignment space is available for rent for vendors looking to sell their items. Open Saturday and Sunday, the Ellijay Marketplace hosts over 2,500 to 5,000 people each weekend with plenty of parking space. Kicking off their music performances on June 24, there will be a benefit concert on the Ellijay Marketplace stage for North Georgia tornado victims.

Families love coming to Ellijay Marketplace. Located in the back of the property is a petting farm open on the weekends.?It is set up to allow children of all ages access to almost 50 farm animals. From llamas to ponies, children may never have the opportunity to see, much less touch and feed animals like these.

For the adventurous at heart, enjoy the mountain air, relax and cool off on a hot summer day with a leisurely hour and a half trip tubing down the Cartecay River. Bring your family and plan to spend the day. The marketplace furnishes transportation to the put-in point, a tube and a life jacket. Tubing is available seven days a week during the season. Don’t miss your opportunity to see all Ellijay Marketplace has to offer!?

Located at 518 River Street in Downtown Ellijay, across from the old railroad depot, you can contact them at (706) 847-4531 or visit the website at www.ellijaymarketplace.com for information on upcoming music, new inventory, tickets and more.

Main Street Fun

Each downtown area in north Georgia has its own events and usually the chamber of commerce can help. Ellijay is hopping with the 3 Rivers Music Jam in the city parking lot downtown. There will be a kids jump tent, arts, crafts, music from The Atta Boys (June 11) and Kharisma (July 4) and Cartecay River Trading will be grilling out on their green eggs. Food is also catered by 28 Main Restaurant. 28 Main will also have cooking classes for kids and a murder mystery dinner. Also, don't miss the Star Spangled Ellijay featuring past stars of the community.    

On June 4, downtown Woodstock will host a Wing & Rock Fest starting at noon. With an eating competition, arts and crafts and a kids play zone, it's a family event not to be missed! Woodstock Summer Concert Series will be presenting LoCash Cowboys on June 11. Put on your dancing shoes for the best community concert series in the state! The second series is July 9 hosted by Midnight Star.

The July 1 "Tour de Main" is a repeat of last year's popular bicycle parade on Main St. This event will celebrate all things relating to cycling. Finally, don't miss the July 4 Freedom Fest with a HUGE parade kicking off the celebration at 10:00 a.m. Adam the juggler, Tim the Magician, musical entertainment, children’s games, watermelon seed spitting contest, cake walk, arts and crafts, and vendors of all types will be there. There will also be a Freedom Run at 7:30 a.m. The day will conclude with a brilliant fireworks show. For more information about Woodstock events, call (770) 924-0406.